Rape case sheds light on elite New Hampshire prep school's sexual tradition: 'Senior Salute'

The entrance to the elite St. Paul’s School is seen Friday Aug. 14, 2015 in Concord, N.H., Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, Owen Labrie, a former student, goes on trial Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, for taking part in a practice at the school known as “Senior Salute” where graduating boys try to take the virginity of younger girls before the school year ends. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) (The Associated Press)

In this photo taken Friday July 31, 2015 Owen Labrie is seen in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord, N.H. The St. Paul’s prep School student is charged with taking part in a practice at the school known as “Senior Salute” where graduating boys try to take the virginity of younger girls before the school year ends. Labrie has pleaded not guilty to several felonies. When his trial begins Monday, Aug. 17, prosecutors are expected to call current and former students to testify about the sexual culture at one of the country’s most selective boarding schools. (AP Photo/Lynne Tuohy) (The Associated Press)

CONCORD, N.H. – A New Hampshire prep school that boasts a glittering roster of alumni — including the current secretary of state — is expected to be cast in a harsh light during the upcoming trial of a recent graduate on charges of raping a 15-year-old at the school.

Nineteen-year-old Owen Labrie of Tunbridge, Vermont, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in what police say was a sexual assault two days before he graduated in from St. Paul's School in 2014.

Authorities say the assault stemmed from a tradition of sexual conquest at the school known as "Senior Salute," in which senior males try to take the virginity of younger girls before the school year ends.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in Merrimack Superior Court in Concord.

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